Pimlico: Handle down on Black-Eyed Susan card

Total handle on the 13-race card at Pimlico Race Course on Friday featuring the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes was down 3.9 percent compared to wagering on the same card last year, according to an analysis of the racing charts for each year.

Commingled handle for the 13 races was $12.49 million, according to the charts, compared to $12.99 million last year. The Black-Eyed Susan, which had its purse bumped from $300,000 to $500,000 this year, had seven runners this year, compared to nine last year, and the Pimlico Special had six runners, compared to nine for the 2012 running.

Although handle on the Black-Eyed Susan was down 12 percent and handle on the Special was down 32 percent, many of the other races on the card had higher handle totals this year than last year. Wagering on the Black -yed Susan dropped $250,000 this year, while handle on the Special declined $800,000.

Pimlico has attempted over the past several years to draw more attention to the Black=Eyed Susan card, which takes place one day before the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown. Pimlico announced at the end of the Friday card that attendance was 38,957.